Mother's Day Unit Study Ideas

Guest Author - Alissa Moy

Here is a plethora of ideas to incorporate Mother's Day into a curriculum wide unit study!

Language Arts:
Poetry is a perfect way to honor mom or grandma through writing. A Cinquian poem is perfect for a description of "mom". Here are the rules for this descriptive poem-
First Line: 2 syllables One word, giving title
Second Line: 4 syllables Two words, describing title
Third Line: 6 syllables Three words, expressing action
Fourth Line: 8 syllables Four words, expressing a feeling
Fifth Line: 2 syllables Another word for the title

Also consider a Free Verse poem for your older homeschooler. This can be any length, and any number of words. It does have to rhyme. Children who are comfortable with typing may wish to create their poem online, and add graphics or clip art to make a colorful poem. If your printer is black and white you can still choose clip art, but have your child color the pictures in. Consider framing your child's project, too.

Arts and Crafts:
A paper flower bouquet is a wonderful sneeze free alternative to fresh flowers, plus your homeschooler can create them unique to their ability. A great set is Alex My Giant Paper Flowers Kit by Alex ( the link is at the bottom of this article). The set by Alex is for children over age three, and it is fun and customizable. Plan to get an inexpensive glass vase or clean jar to create a beautiful arrangement. You can use shredded blue tissue paper to represent the water in your vase if you wish. If your homeschooler wants to create an even simpler bouquet, purchase a pastel themed pack of pipe cleaners. Pipe cleaners can be molded into awesome flower creations, from roses to tulips. The website "Craft Elf" has a unique pipe cleaner, flower pot project to make. The link for this colorful craft is at the end of this article.

History:
In 1913 Mother's Day became an officially recognized holiday, enacted by President Woodrow Wilson. Check out the link (referenced at this article's end) to learn more about the history of Mother's Day from the Kaboose website. Written in a child friendly way, you can read and discuss the events that led up tp the first day to honor mothers. Older homeschoolers will be capable of discussing the plight of Anna Jarvis, and her path to initiating the recognition of the first Mother's Day.

Lapbooking:
If you are an active Lapbooker along with your homeschoolers, please find a link at the end of this article for an awesome Mother's Day Lapbook. From a homeschool mom's blog, this lapbook offers not only the history and facts about Mother's Day, but it also has templates for printing out your book. Best of all, it's free!

Reading:
With books for all ages, a Mother's Day theme is a great way to share the joy of reading. A few books worth noting are:
1. Little Critter: Happy Mother's Day! by Mercer Mayer
2. Biscuit Loves Mothers Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
3. Happy Mother's Day, Mami! (Dora the Explorer) by Leslie Valdes
4. T. Rex and the Mother's Day Hug by Lois G. Grambling
5. The Berenstain Bears and the Mama's Day Surprise (First Time Books(R)) by
Stan Berenstain & Jan Berenstain
6. Hooray for Mother's Day! (Little Bill) by Catherine Lukas
7. Mother's Day In March: A Story of Adoption by Antonella Valeri
8. Happy Mother's Day, Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert
9. Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise (The Baby-Sitters Club #24) by
Ann M. Martin
10. Babar: A Gift for Mother by Ellen Weiss

Enjoy this holiday as a "Homeschool Mom", and do take some time for a break, too!